The Winter Stars: Snowdrop Parody
by DrHankryZone13
Summary: Forst out of three Christmas specials I'll be posting for the month :) if you've seen the Snowdrop animation by SillyFily Studios, then this story is easier for you to understand :) Blu, Nigel, Jewel and Tulio belong to Bluesky. Diaglo belongs to me and Justice and the two Alexes, bith scarlet and owl, belong to their respective owners


_There's nothing in this world quite so amazing as the first winter snow._

 _The first few flakes falling from the sky, signifying a great change._

 _The time for the land to rest, the animals to dream. And the ponies of Equestria to relax and play, knowing another year has successfully aged to its eve._

 _Holiday celebrations, peaceful nights of rest, brisk laughter in the day, all brought forth by a single powdery fragment._

 _Some might scoff at the idea that something so small could hold so much power. But they are the ones who have forgotten how the snowflake came to be..._

It was a stormy and wintery weather in the Rio when classes were still going on in the Blu Bird Elementary. The class of various species of macaw chicks taking up the position of Weatherbirds as their future career were all in the room being taught by a bespectacled green parrot all they need to know about their weather subject. Tulio was busy gesturing to the chalkboard while talking to the chicks all the while.

"The eve following the spring sunrise, the rain birds, the spixes, will bring forth the snow-melting showers from the south." Tulio paused and looked at his students. "Can anyone tell me the southern nation that allows Rio to collect its warm front cloud system?" A little elf owl raised his wing to answer. "Sparky?" Tulio motioned for him to perch up. "Do you know the answer?" The young owlet shuffled nervously for he had forgotten what to say. "Um… is it-! Uh no! Wait!" Sparky stuttered a little before finally gaining his answer. "It's the strong winds right?" He asked eagerly.

Tulio chuckled with a headshake. "That's a sensible amswer, but the correct answer is camelu." Sparky ooed in understanding and sat down again gaining giggles from his sister. "Way to go Spark!" Skyler giggled and she high winged him. "Now we know what that stuff is!" The elf owl siblings exchanged excited chirps while a female scarlet macaw kid rolled her eyes in boredom; clearly not interested in the topic or what was just said by Tulio. "Wherever it is, they need to hurry up and go get the front." Justice spoke boredly. "It's Freezing!"

Tulio frowned a little at the student. "I'll have you know that they couldn't produce the rain yet even if they were back with the weather system." He pointed out. "The land still needs time to rest. That's the only reason we create winter - to help rejuvenate the soil for the ostriches, emus or even penguins below." He smiled at all the students. "Besides, look at the bright side! You won't have to wait much longer. The spring sunrise is only two days away. Then you won't have to see a speck of snow for a whole year!"

Excited chirps and tweets flooded the room as all the kids rejoiced over the coming end of snow. However, one blue macaw kid in glasses just remained solemn; head on wings on the desk, just looking down at it. Tulio clapped his wings to quieten the noisy kids. "Alright! Now that that's confirmed, how is everyone coming along with their spring sunrise presentations?" He asked all the kids. "Is everyone and their partner ready to present their seasonal gifts to the Spix Macaw Leaders?" Tulio noticed the lone spix chick and went to his side.

"Diaglo?"

The chick gasped and snapped out of his trance upon hearing his name called out. He looked up to see the kind Tulio looking at him with a smile. "How's your project coming along?" He asked politely. Diaglo's eyes widened and he lowered his head. "My project? …." Tulio frowned but took it as if Diaglo was still in the process. "Is your partner being troublesome? Not doing his or her part?" Diaglo refused to look up. "I…" Tulio's eyes widened and concern replaced the casual expression on his face.

"Do you not have a partner still?" Tulio asked in disbelief. "Diaglo, this isn't just a small school project. This is the first spring sunrise under the ' rule of Blu and Jewel. They've honored us with the opportunity to show what the merged tribe of wild and domestic's future can create to invigorate the seasons." He sighed and softened his tone. "Have you even begun your work?" The other chicks were just staring at Diaglo and even muttering amongst themselves. "It's not like she can make anything when he can't see even his own wings," one macaw kid whispered to another.

Diaglo gulped and forced a smile. "Of... course I've started Tulio sir! I've actually been working on something for a while now... by myself, because it's a... a surprise!" Justice rolled her eyes and sneered. "Yeah right, a really lame one I hope," Tulio shot a glare at her before turning back to Diaglo. "Okay then, surprises shouldn't be spoiled after all," Tulio clapped his wings to catch attention. "Alright, everyone, be careful going home. Remember to bring in your projects for a final work day. The spixes arrive in two days!"

Tulio turned to Diaglo with worry. "Are you sure you'll be ready? Working by yourself can't be easy. I can still place you in another group. You'll get credit." Diaglo shook his head vigorously. "Oh no need for that! I have something really good planned, Mr Tulio. You'll see! But, it has to be a surprise. It has to!" Tulio smiled and escorted the kid to the door. "Well that's a good spirit for a little bird!" He handed Diaglo his jacket as he made his way outside. "Be careful on the way home! The winds at this time is always the strongest!" Diaglo looked back at Tulio with a positive smile. "I will!" He opened the door and was pushed back but the strong gust of winter wind before flying home.

At home, Diaglo sat outside perched on a branch looking over the place with sadness clear in his blind eyes. He clearly didn't have one bit of a project to contribute to school for the spring sunrise. "I can't go to there. I just can't." He sobbed as he buried his beak in his wings. "A blind, useless kid like me could never make anything for spring. The leaders would just... just... laugh at me and-! Oh what's the point of grumbling?" Diaglo paused and sighed hopelessly.

/flashback/

 _"You can wish on them?"_

 _A younger Diaglo asked the older scarlet macaw male beside him. It was the chick's very first winter and his caregiver, Alex the scarlet was right by his side for that night. The scarlet smiled at the little spix. "Yes you can. Once there was a time where you couldn't, when those stars were rare. But when the spixes Blu and Jewel came, the stars began to come out every night. I bet if you listened, you could hear them twinkle..."_

 _Diaglo looked saddened. "No I couldn't." He muttered. "I'd rather see them!" The chick held Alex's wing. "Do you think if I wished on one star, it will make me see them?" Alex frowned a little. "It's better to save your wishes, Diaglo, for something you really need." He smiled and placed a wing around Diaglo. "Who else can discover an entire cloud's shape without denting the surface?" He chuckled and nuzzled the young spix. "Only one little bird's wings and talons are careful enough to do that." He paused and smiled kindly. "And I bet if you tried again, you would hear the stars twinkling at night. You're a special little bird, Diaglo. Don't worry. You won't need perfect eyesight to find your place in the world."_

 _Diaglo chirped and nuzzled Alex lovingly. He perked up as he heard something faint ring in his earholes._

 _"Twinkles… I think I can hear them! I can hear them!"_

The now slightly older Diaglo frowned after reminiscing over that one memory. "Twinkles... What good are twinkles?" He asked himself dejectedly "You can't wish on twinkles... " He looked up at the sky with a spark of tiny hope. "I don't know if one of you is out there tonight in all the snow... I don't think you are... But... but please, if you are..." Diaglo trembled and clasped his wings together with a bowed head. "I wish, I hope, I dream, I pray. By the Greater Bird's rule, light my way." Diaglo's eyes watered with tears. "Please, I... I just want to show I can do something for once. Everyone else says I can't do anything. But... But I just... "

Diaglo shut his eyes as a single tear slid down his face; Falling on the branch making a very faint sound effect only Diaglo could hear. He gasped and his head feathers sprung up upon hearing that noise. "That wasn't snow. Snow... Snow is..." his eyes opened as he remembered the words said to him by Alex during that first winter.

 _You listen better than anybird I know_

Diaglo smiled and looked up at the sky even though he can't literally see it.

 _Please tell me more about the stars_

 _The voice of Alex sounded in the young chick's mind._

 _Well are all sorts of stars, all different shapes and sizes_

"Agh!" Diaglo yelped in slight pain for he plucked a pointy pin feather from his wing and started to work on something his mind desires

 _But they all have little points at their edges. When they sparkle, their shapes shift_

 _They leave little glowing spaces, only for a moment. And the few that streak across the sky and fall down to the earth, the shooting stars, those are the ones you make your strongest wishes on because they can carry them through_

Diaglo spat out the feather held in his beak and smiled at his work. Surely it wasn't the best but he did his best and that's what counted. "Diaglo!" The voice of Alex called out as stood at the entrance of their hollow; concern clearly written on his face. "What are you doing out there?! It's cold out here and you could get frostbite! Come inside!" Diaglo nodded and picked up his little artwork in his talon. "I'm coming Alex!" He chirped as he flew excitedly. "And I want to show you something!" He flew to the hollow and showed Alex what he was working on earlier…

The next day at the Spring Sunrise, the leaders Blu and Jewel along with their companion Nigel the Cockatoo, arrived at the gathering clearing where many other birds were perched in the trees along with many of the Blu Bird Elementary students who stood in front with their various projects for the special occasion. Jewel smiled at the sight of the children and went forward. "Thank you all very much your hard work. After a long winter, it is wonderful to see so many young boys and girls bring us wonderful ideas to make the seasons shine."

Blu nodded and looked at them all. "Now as a reminder, we can only choose one of your gifts for the centennial symbol, but.."

"WAIT!" The distressed cry of Diaglo sounded as he and Alex flew through the flock of birds at the clearing. Alex panted and stood up. "Forgive us the interruption, sir Blu and miss Jewel, it's just that-!" "I've been working so hard!" Diaglo squeaked on Alex's behalf. "Please, I have a gift for the seasons too and," Justice smirked. "Doubt that," she sneered. Blu and Jewel exchanged glances before smiling at Diaglo. "Can we see it?" Blu asked kindly. Diaglo hesitated for a moment before holding out an outstretched wing containing his gift…

The chicks in the class gasped while Justice laughed evilly. "You brought snow?!" She scoffed. "And just one speck of it!" Diaglo stood in hurt silence as the other chicks started whispering amongst themselves. "Maybe he brought the wrong thing by mistake? Sparky guessed. "Diaglo why did you bring snow to the spring sunrise?" Skyler went to his side. "It's kinda unorthodox…"

"It's not snow!" Diaglo protested. "I made a star!" That made Justice scoff even more. "A star? You can't make stars! It doesn't even look like one!" She spat. Diaglo felt his neck feathers rise in brief anger. "Okay! You're right it doesn't look like one! But it's still a star!" A look of solemnity replaced the angry frown. "It's a star for winter…" he looked at those possibly around him and spoke sadly. "I can't see what the stars look like up there. Just like I can't see what spring looks like."

The grownup birds felt saddened by the unfortunate boy and were now looking at him with pity and interest at that one speck of snow as Diaglo continued. "I may be blind… but still, I can hear it all, and I heard the snow twinkling just like the stars do every night! So they should be able to grant wishes too, shouldn't they? Winter's been giving us a gift all this time, and we've just been ignoring it!" He paused for a breath. "Celebrating spring is good. But winter can't be all bad if it gives us these. It may be cold and dark, but that doesn't mean there isn't any good to it."

At the mention of the cold and dark being good in someways, Nigel perked up as those words struck his heart somehow. He used to be a cruel bird who was often shunned away by the other birds in the dark. He shook the thoughts away so he could listen to the young boy as he continued. "Maybe... Maybe winter is sad that everyone doesn't like it." Diaglo spoke. "So maybe we need to make wishes on the winter snow just like how we wish on the night stars. Maybe then we can have a happy winter instead. We already have a happy spring and summer and fall. Can't winter be happy too? Because winter... It's important. Even if it seems useless, it can give us wonderful things, so..."

Nigel stepped forward looking at Diaglo. "May I see your winter star" he asked softly. Diaglo nodded and held it out to let the cockatoo see. Even Blu and Jewel were attracted and were now looking at it and then turning to Diaglo with a bright smile. "Can you, make some more of this?" Blu asked eagerly. Diaglo internally gasped and nodded; letting the elders take his gift as the official centennial symbol. All the chicks, even Justice, happily clapped for their classmate and so did the grownups. Alex was the most overjoyed for his kid and literally shed a tear of joy for Diaglo's success.

 _The following year's snowfall was one of the most celebrated events in avian history_

 _Winter's blessings had at last been discovered_

 _From then on, snows were gentle, behaving the weather bird's wishes_

 _Chicks could play_

 _Birds could see beyond the icy chill_

 _And a new sort of star fall could bring everybird sweet dreams_

/Several years later/

Blu, Jewel and Nigel stood in front of an altar in the City Memorandum with a belljar containing what looked like a small snowflake. The glasses that once belonged to Diaglo rested beside the jar as the candle lights shone to hopefully guide the young bird's soul to rest in wherever place he is now.

Nigel was the most sorrowful and he doesn't want to let Diaglo go just yet. "Is that star really the last one we have?" He asked Blu and Jewel with a solemn tone. Blu nodded sadly and Jewel sobbed in his wing. "It's been years, Nigel. He could and should have lived a long life… and he only made as many winter stars as he could." "Can we not save it?" Nigel's voice broke in despair. Jewel shook her head. "Diaglo wouldn't have wanted that…" Nigel choked a sob.

"But he... I.. I never got to..." The cockatoo couldn't control his tears and he cried into his wings. Blu wrapped a wing around him in sympathy. "I'm sorry Nigel…" Blu spoke softly. "I know how much he means to you.." Nigel wiped away his tears and sighed in mourning. "The only one who ever understood me.." Jewel joined in the bird hug that lasted moments before Alex (the snowy owl) came over.

"Sir Blu and Miss Jewel?"

Alex hooted as he perched on the windowsill. "The weather macaw and my team are waiting for your signal," he spoke as the the two spixes and cockatoo flew to the balcony with Tomada flying suit. When at the said place, Jewel tearfully smiled and handed the last snowflake to Nigel who gingerly took it in his wings. "I think Diaglo would want you to do this…" she whispered sadly but controlled her inner feelings.

Nigel swallowed a lump in his throat and flapped forward to perch on the high post. The small snowflake in his wings twinkled slightly as the cockatoo shedded a single tear; Releasing the snowflake and watching it fall to the floor before multiple other snowflakes made from the snow owls fell as well. But despite the large number, Diaglo's was the most unique and it remained falling at a slow pace without a care of beating the other flakes made by the owls...

The cockatoo watched it drop with a smile forming in his beak. The special little bird who first brought up the winter stars will forever remain in his thoughts and heart forever. With a sigh, Nigel softly spoke to the falling piece of snow…

 _Thank you, my friend,_

 _For everything you gave_

 _And every wish you never knew came true_

 _Goodbye..._


End file.
